Therapy Should Be First Treatment for ADHD, and Other News

According to the latest U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vital Signs report, about 75% of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity (ADHD) receive medication, but just half receive therapy. The CDC urges providers and parents to refer more children to behavior therapy before using stimulant drugs.

According to the report, behavior therapy can help parents and children to more effectively cope with ADHD, regardless of whether the child also takes prescription drugs. Prescription stimulants can have many side effects, so the CDC recommends that clinicians carefully weigh the risks and benefits before using pharmaceutical treatments.

The report also encourages providers to use guidelines published by the American Academy of Pediatrics to diagnose ADHD. Those guidelines include recommendations such as using treatment criteria published in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, ruling out other potential causes of symptoms, and following age-appropriate treatment protocols.

For the first time in years, the U.S. death rate has risen—from 723 deaths per 100,000 in 2014 to 730 deaths per 100,000 in 2015. Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, respiratory infections, liver disease, drug overdose, and suicide are some of the causes of death identified in a report on the death rate increase from the National Center for Health Statistics.

A small trial of 45 brain cancer patients discovered a virus targeting tumors may double survival times. Participants experienced no dangerous side effects associated with the virus, but more research is necessary to determine if the virus could become an appropriate treatment for more cancer patients.

Several studies have established a connection between loneliness and serious health issues. In a 2010 meta-analysis of 308,000 people that looked at 148 previous studies, researchers found a strong correlation between more social connections and better health. Some studies have even found that few friendships can be as bad for physical health as obesity.

According to a study of educated Midwestern moms—most of whom were married and held full-time jobs—certain personality traits increase the likelihood that a mother will frequently post to social media. Perfectionist mothers and those who seek validation for their parenting tend to post more often, and they report a stronger emotional connection to the comments they receive.

Tiny houses are becoming more popular, and many people tend to romanticize the miniature lifestyle, but researchers do not yet know how living in such small spaces affects well-being. Small, cramped quarters may have negative psychological effects. However, research on such cramped quarters primarily relies on desolate urban living environments, so the effects may not apply to all small houses.

Children ranging in age from preschooler to adolescent are increasingly distracted by electronic devices, according to a study of 44 families that relied on audio data. Children of more educated mothers typically spent less time on electronic devices. Electronic devices tended to distract children from communicating with their parents—a finding that contradicts some previous studies that relied on parental self-reports.

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carmen

June 3rd, 2016 at
10:24 AM

I was sort of surprised to read about the increased death rate too, and I wish that someone anyone could tell us why this is happening.
I would have thought that we would be one of the healthiest countries on earth given that we are a wealthy country and plus we have awesome medical care available.
So how do the numbers keep creeping up and up?

Darla

clover

clara

June 6th, 2016 at
3:13 PM

We have a rule in our house that from the time that we get home from school until after dinner and the homework is all finished, this the the time to talk, eat together and forget about the email and snapchat and stuff. It just doesn’t work out for us to always be on the phone computers etc when there are real live people in the house to talk to and that we need to have conversations with. I may have hated it when I was a kid, but boy, do I ever see the value in that family time together now.

Paige

June 8th, 2016 at
3:35 PM

Why does it always seem that the first thing all parents and doctors want to do is immediately start someone on medication without the benefit of having tried other things first? I am so dismayed at the medical system in this country and that we are so medically driven that there is very little though ever given to the things that can be done that do not include taking more drugs!

Carlata

August 3rd, 2017 at
2:55 PM

That CDC report runs contrary to all scientific research on the subject. Why that report was issued, I do not know. In fact, medication for ADHD is the *first* line treatment. Other supports can be very helpful, but rarely stick if the brain chemistry isn’t there to begin with.

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